On the plus side I once was madly in love with an amazing, intelligent and highly sexed Canadian lass. And two of the very best dentists I've ever had were both from Canada.
On the negative side are the let's-try-it-with-Coke Canookie wannabee reviewers, of whom way too much has already been said. But yet there's another moose poacher worthy of review.
Mickeycanookie.
Some time ago I participated in a long and amazing thread wherein a young rum webmaster had decided to post a "Dark 'N Stormy Rum Challenge". Now let it be clear that comparing dark rums with ginger beer, perhaps a touch of lime, is a fine, fine idea. But calling the drink a "Dark 'N Stormy" with rums other than Goslings Black Seal is not. Why?
Simple, there are but two trademarked signature rum drinks and the Dark 'N Stormy is one of them. The other? Pusser's Painkiller. Both are excellent and work perfectly for the rum for which they were designed. Both are small and independent companies who have invested millions of dollars and much time in promoting their properities. So... along with a few other posters, I argued for Goslings and pointed out that this "competition" was a probable violation of trademark law, and accordingly suggested that he change the name, say to "Dark Rum and Ginger Beer Challenge". The young webmaster laughed this off, and pretty much dared Goslings to do something, when to everyone's great surprise...
They did.
He actually got an email from Gosling's New York law firm demanding that he "cease and desist". Of course this got his immediate attention, and he did so, but in an extremely snarky way ("I was speeding, but that mean officer gave me a ticket. How dare he!"). Case closed - he was wrong, he got caught and looked quite the fool. But he had one thing going for him: as a registrant of the Shillery and surrounded by like fools he actually got some support from one of them...
I'm sorry, but this is a nation of laws. Further trademark and copyright law is old, respected and valuable for any person who plans to seriously promote a product. Without this protection, any Canookie come lately can simply borrow, steal and/or profit from their hard work. All companies, from the largest to the smallest use trademarks and defend them: Coca Cola, Big Mac, Ford Explorer and yes, Goslings Dark 'N Stormy.Mickeycanookie: "Buy something else, Goslings are pricks. Sorry to be crude but they sicked lawyers on a fellow board member after claiming copywrite infringement on the dark'n st&my..."
A fellow countryman responds...
Here's where it gets interesting. A fellow Canookie (no doubt related to my dentists or old girlfriend) found Mickey's cheap shot insulting and wrong, and posted this simple but effective question...
It goes without saying that the best retorts are short, simple and powerful. IC's retort is exactly that and puts Mickeycanookie on notice by challenging him to specify when the law is not the law. Bravo! C'mon Mickey, we know you're a fool, now let's see you be a Compleat Foole (patent pending, Compleat Idiot Enterprises)...Intelligent Canadian: "so where is the line for when it's appropriate to defend trademark usage?"
